[The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday approved a new set of rules that are intended to preserve open access to the Internet.]

By BRIAN STELTER -- There was disagreement Tuesday about whether the F.C.C. had the legal authority to adopt the network neutrality rules, and that authority was certain to face legal challenges in the months ahead. Nonetheless, the approval represented a significant progress toward fulfilling a campaign promise by President Obama to preserve a level playing field for Web developers.